A Heart Not Easily Broken by M.J. Kane

  Chapter 22

  This cannot be happening.

  The contents of my oversized purse littered the cashier’s counter. “I put it in my bag…”

  An annoyed grunt came from the man standing in line behind me.

  Irritation made my checks hot. I stuffed my things into my purse. “I’ll come back.” I muttered, grabbed my backpack from the floor, and moved out of the way.

  So much for buying my book today. School had been in session for less than a week, and I had already fallen behind. My final year of college should not start like this. I stomped out of the campus bookstore while muttering under my breath.

  I could only hope my professor would be lenient since this was the first assignment. Who was I kidding? He already made it clear that if the assignment wasn’t on his desk by the deadline, I would be screwed. I needed that book. It was my fault I didn’t have it on time. I’d spent the last few weeks focusing on finding another job,managing my finances, and spending as much time as possible with Brian before he left.

  I climbed in my car and slammed the door shut. Where in the hell was my school ID? Paying full price for the book was not my idea of money management. As it was, I barely had enough money to get the book at the discounted price. I emptied my purse on the passenger seat and continued to search, as if it would make a difference. A scan of the seats, floor, and other surfaces yielded no results. The only other option would be paying for another card and waiting until my next paycheck to buy the book. By then it would be too late to turn in my assignment.

  If I had accepted Brian’s help in the beginning, I would not be in this situation. I’d stupidly told him no, because I didn’t want to be a nuisance. And now I was paying for it.

  I resigned myself to ask my roommates to borrow money. I could afford to pay for another ID with the money I had now, but it wouldn’t do any good. Student services closed thirty minutes ago. By the time they were open again, I’d be at work. Wasn’t that just great?

  I lay my head back against the headrest and massaged my temples.

  Today sucked.

  I tried my best to stop stressing about the outcome of my grade for this paper and wished I could talk to Brian. Hearing his soothing voice would not make my ID card appear, but it would calm my nerves enough to mull over the matter with a clear head.

  He had been gone for less than thirty-six hours, and I missed him like crazy. We spoke last night before I went to bed. Our goal was to talk to each other every day, at least before he went on stage. His new schedule revolved around practice, show time, and travel. And after parties.

  Women threw panties at him when he performed at the club. I remembered watching him and listening to women behind me talk about what they could physically do for him. As vain as it sounded, I enjoyed watching their mouths gape open when Brian came off stage, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me.

  I trusted Brian, but the right set of circumstances could lead to a slip up. Like a drunken after party.

  I sighed and promised myself not to dwell on it any more. All I could do is trust him. Focusing on the ‘what if’s’ would only bring it to fruition.

  I reached for my phone as it vibrated. It showed a missed call and voice message. I forgot to take it off vibrate when class ended. I turned up the ringer and checked the message. Brian had called. My heart leapt in my chest at the sound of his voice. Praying he’d still be available, I hit redial.

  “Hey, baby.” His unbelievably smooth voice coated my irritation.

  I closed my eyes and zeroed in on his timbre. “Brian, are you busy?”

  “Kind of. We’re waiting for the stage to be changed around so we can do warm ups and sound checks before full show rehearsal. I’ve got a few minutes. How was class?”

  I laughed ruefully. “Class was fine. Homework is another story. I’m screwed because I don’t have a very important book.”

  “I thought you got everything weeks ago.”

  “Well, I did except for one book that cost so much it was out of my budget. I put it off until I had the money. Now my student ID is missing. I need it in order to get the discount.”

  “Wait, you needed money and didn’t tell me?” An exasperated sigh came through the line. “Ebony, I told you I would help you with anything you need. You know I would have bought it for you.”

  “I know, it’s just…you’ve got your own bills to worry about. Besides, I’ve been handling this sort of problem for years on my own.”

  “But you’re not on your own anymore, you’ve got me. I want to see you succeed. But it won’t happen if you don’t have everything you need. Don’t mess with your education because you’re too proud to ask.”

  “Brian­”

  “Let me take care of you, baby. With the way they’re paying me, I can help you with anything you need.”

  “But─”

  “There are no ‘buts’. Look, I can’t be there with you right now, at least let me do this, okay? Text me your account number, and I’ll deposit the money into your bank in the morning.”

  I sighed. “Thanks, Brian. I’ll pay you back.”

  “There’s nothing to pay back. Now, your ID, when did you see it last?” I could hear the cackles of men around him.

  “It’s usually in my purse. I’ve checked everywhere.” I thought back to the last few days’ activities and groaned in realization. “Your house, in your bedroom. Remember when you were looking for a condom?”

  Brian chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I dumped your bag on the floor.”

  “We overslept and were running late to get to the bus. I grabbed everything I saw and didn’t bother to make sure I picked up everything.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow.”

  The background noises in the phone lowered as I heard Brian excuse himself. His voice was low, husky when he spoke again. “I can’t stop thinking about that night.”

  My body tingled in all the right places. “Me neither.” I’d woken up in need of a cold shower just this morning from dreaming about it.

  “Have you ever had phone sex?”

  “Are you serious?” I giggled.

  “Very. Some of the guys say they’ve done it with their girlfriends. Or we could try web cams, text videos…”

  Brian continued to share creative ways for us to be together. Some of them sounded like fun, but I drew the line at naked text messages. All too soon the conversation ended.

  “Baby, I’ve got to go. I’ll tell Javan to let you in. You should be able to get it tonight.”

  “Thank you.” I paused, studying the bracelet on my arm. The guitar glinted in the sun. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. I’ll text you later.”

  We disconnected. Hearing him say he loved me would hold me over until the next time we talked.

  Brian was right. I could have avoided a lot of my anxiety over the last few weeks. Accepting his help would have given me time to focus on finding another job and not stress about all the other details. I would chalk this up as a lesson learned.

  Armed with a plan and the possible location of my ID card, I felt better, knowing I would rectify the situation by nightfall.